Aston Villa vs. Everton

Didn't Want to Win it Anyway! (Everton Preview)

I never wanted Villa to win the FA Cup. I mean, we've gone since 1957 without winning it, so we're kinda used to not winning it, right?

The amount of club money that Martin O'Neill has had spent on new suits for the trips to the national stadium would have perhaps have paid for Marlon Harewood, let alone his wages!

Villa have a crunch tie against an Everton side who like the claret & blues are watching vaguely as the likes of Spurs and Manchester City pull away into the distance, knowing that both need the 3 points to at least stay in a race the bookies already have us discounted for.

It's VillaEvertonNo FACUP's Please!Preview!

Vital Quotes:

'smartin Martin O'Neill believes that his side still has a shot at the Champions League qualifier stage this season, despite being 8 points behind Manchester City (although with a game in hand.)

It should be noted Villa fans that we do have something to be cheerful for, in that we are 27 points ahead of Burnley and with just 6 games to go, we are safe from relegation.

Woop!

O'Neill spoke to the official website as he warbled:

'We have plenty to play for - absolutely.

'The players will, I am sure, show it again in their play. We have loads of things to go for.'

Hmm, I think we just have league position actually but he added:

'We are down now to a six game season. The points are still there to be played for.

'But we have really got to make the best use of that. We would really need to win the vast majority of those games.

'We still have Manchester City to play for instance who at this minute would be considered strong favourites to get that spot. They have points on the board and at this stage of the season that's the answer to everyone. We have to try and win this game now against Everton for a start and then look forward to the next game. That's the case.

Meanwhile, there were the usual raft of quotes from players banging on about concentrating on the league now so I went for Friddy P's take on it all:

There are a lot of positives to take from the Chelsea game and it's important now to get over the disappointment.

'We did play well and we've got an important league game against Everton on Wednesday and I'm sure we'll be ready for it. We have six games left and we want to take the full complement of points from those games. We may need to - we may not.

Full compliments? So we finish 7th but it's alright on account of his goalkeeper kit really suiting his choice of boot colour?

*****

Over on the flip-flop, David Moyes is talking in a rather similar fashion to his opposite number about must-win games and the last few as we seek a conclusion to what has been somewhat of an interesting Premier League season. Moyes is quoted on skysports.com:

'We have always been coming from behind. [Ooooeerrr!] We had a poor start, the hard part was having three or four serious injuries, and we've been playing catch up. We have done a pretty good job.'

'We still have a chance of a European spot but we need to overhaul Aston Villa. It is important and we would like to be there.

'We will do everything we can. We might need other people to help us out but if we don't do our job, it does not matter. The players are making a decent fist of it and have done well to get us into this position.'

If you want to overhaul Aston Villa Mr Moyes, I suggest you write to Randolph Lerner, Villa Park, Birmingham. I for one would welcome you!

Aston Villa Team News:

Aston Villa are set to have a number of niggling worries including David Richard Dunne who clearly still isn't fit, and James Milner who according to Hercs was lucky to survive an assassination attempt by John 'bite your legs and your wife' Terry.

The BBC actually believe that Nigel Reo-Coker could be included in the squad! Wowzers!

Player to watch: Speedy Agbonzales

Is Gabby Agbonlahor. Even the usually England-biased media started to wobble with their views on Gabby post-finale. Not scored in a while (even including the games he wasn't injured for) and could do with sorting his life out if he's even to get a souvenir South Africa flag from his mate wee Jimmy!

Everton Team News:

Villa are to be boosted by the news that Everton playmaker Mikel Arteta will be absent. Sheriff Lobo has been passed fit to play, as has his similarly named friend Joseph Yobo.*

(*Only Simpsons fans will get that joke.)

Player to watch: Tim Cahill

Tim Cahill is always a danger and has a habit of popping up where you least expect. I also believe he won't be fooled by the Carlos Cuellar 'run the wrong way' tactic to put him off.

Match Facts & Stats

In honour of our opponents, and the way the majority of us felt after Saturday. I have been able to offer a sing-a-long version too!:

The Wembley pitch is set to be re-laid for an amazing 11th time. See had they gone with ice (rather than this green, fake ice that was on show at the weekend) it'd have only been the water board they'd have had to answer to, not the entire British Public and perhaps so the Government!

Everton are famous for their Hollywood fan Sylvester Stallone as we are with Tom Hanks.

Rockey Vs Forest Gump, am I the only one that would find that bloody funny?

Not that beating on the mentally disabled is funny.

Everton have a pink and black away kit. It's a touch girly and rumour has it it was that, and not the money, that forced Joleen Lescott to move to Manchester City.

If James Milner ever got properly injured, the world would explode.

Ref Watch:

The referee for the match is Martin Atkinson. Due to it not being a big team at Wembley I fully expect that Mr Atkinson will actually officiate normally. Not that I'm bitter or anything!

Match Prediction:

700-1 Villa. The villans to concede late on when Cuellar decides to run away randomly.

Next Fixtures:

Who would want to play them right now? Pompey away is next on the 18 Apr.

Thanks for reading folks, if it fits (and I really hope it does,) have my very own artists impression of Andy Marshall as few Villa fans know what he looks like! If you click it, it takes you to a great site where you can donate money towards Vital Villa's Acorns 450 challenge.

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In true optimistic mode we might scrape a win, but if anyone is going to win well I fear it will be Villa 0 Everton 3. The motivational deflation of 2 Wembley defeats for Villa will take an edge off our game - however much MON trys to motivate them to think differently. Equally, I find it hard to imagine that we will properly recognise how wound up Everton will be for this one - they will view it as their biggest match of the remaining season, with a real opportunity to pip us again, and catch Livepool all in one go.
We therefore must freshen things up - maybe Albrighton and the Fonz having a part to play. Alternatively when things get bad we could take off Carew and bring on Heskey. Not heard the team news yet but please prove me wrong.

stennyvilla
Frediel
Cuellar--Collins--Dunne--Warnock
Young--Milner--Petrov--Downing
Agbonlahor--Carew
Bit obvious it would have been that line up, been the same mostly all season, our best line up at the moment to be honest though.

JT_daniel, whats come over here and make accusations, villa fans never said anything bad about chelsea, your in no position after the refs awful decisions against us and then against bolton last night, you look like the biggest cheats in the league at the moment. Anyway, glad i didnt go to the game tonight, i had other priorities before villa tonight and decided to sell my ticket, we again have no final product, im a big fan of oneil but if he doesnt bring in a quality striker or a creative player then im afraid ill be getting on his back aswell like many others. Im aftraid our season could be well and truely over aswell tonight if we lose, spurs winning and city on a roll there would be no way of catching them.

Boring Boring Villa...hate admit it, but spurs fans are right, can't we play against teams our level? we were AWFUL tonight, and lucky to come away with a draw...im bored of the 'we have a squad now, and i want to rotate' because even if he does now, our season doesnt have anything to play for ? uefa cup, why? he won't rotate next year then 'go for broke' in the league...arghhh kick off start of 2nd half...Villa pass pass pass to Collins HOOF everton ball, the amount of times we went backwards as far as we could today then hoofed it forward only for carew to aimlesly head it to an everton player n watch them go on the attack i could probs count on more than 4 hands...RANT OVER, UP THE VILLA

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